[Nuriho 3rd Launch] 'Oke Ti'... Where Is the Missing Toyosat Satellite?

As of 11 PM Last Night, Signals Confirmed from 2 of 8 Launched Satellites
Satellite Status Announcement at 11 AM Today
Attention on the Whereabouts of 1 Toyosat Satellite Not Confirmed in Normal Orbit Insertion

As the third launch of Korea's first indigenous space launch vehicle, Nuriho, successfully completed its mission, attention is focused on whether the signal of one 'blemish' satellite, the Doyosat, has been detected.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) are scheduled to hold a press conference at 11 a.m. on the 26th to disclose the communication status with the satellites onboard the third launch.

The Nuriho third launch vehicle, launched at 6:24 p.m. the previous day from the Naro Space Center in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, successfully deployed KAIST's next-generation small satellite No. 2 (Chasohyeong 2) and three private company CubeSats, as well as four Doyosat satellites from the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), into the target orbit of 550 km. In particular, the main payload, Chasohyeong 2, sent a beacon signal from the Antarctic King Sejong Station around 7:07 p.m. on the same day, just 43 minutes after the Nuriho third launch, confirming its successful insertion into the orbit. The beacon signal refers to a unique radio signal periodically sent from the satellite to the ground. Subsequently, around 7:58 p.m., the KAIST Satellite Research Center ground station in Daejeon succeeded in initial communication with Chasohyeong 2 (receiving satellite status information, time synchronization, etc.). Throughout the day, the satellite's status is expected to be precisely confirmed through communication with the KAIST Satellite Research Center ground station in Daejeon and overseas ground stations (Boden, Sweden).

Attempts are also being made to receive beacon signals from the CubeSats of other private companies and KASI. As of 11 p.m. the previous night, signals were confirmed from two satellites: Doyosat No. 1 (8:03 p.m.) and LUMIR-T1 (7:53 p.m.).

Illustration of four Doyosat satellites. Photo by Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute [Image source=Yonhap News]

Of particular interest is the whereabouts of one 'missing' Doyosat satellite. This small satellite was positioned in the camera's blind spot at the time of ejection, and due to signal interference, its exact ejection and orbital insertion have not been confirmed. KARI, together with KASI, is tracking the whereabouts by detecting and locating the signal of this small satellite while assessing whether it can perform its mission normally. The Doyosat satellites are a set of four small satellites developed by KASI at a cost of 10 billion KRW for space weather observation. It was planned to demonstrate, for the first time ever, the technology for operating a cluster of small satellites.